Thomas j



(No Model.)

T. J. MoTIGHR.

DIRECTORY INDICATOR FOR BUILDINGS, 650.

No. 382,997. Patented May 15, 1888.

n. D, C.

N ETERs, Plmm-Llum UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

THOMAS J. MOTIGHE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DIRECTCRY INDiCATOfi FOR BUILDINGS, 8M3.

iiPIlCIPICA'I'ION forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,997, dated May 15, 1888.

Application filed May 24, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. MoTIc-Hn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Directorylndicators for Buildings, 850., of which the following is a specification.

In most of the large office-buildings now used for general and professional business it is customary to place in or. near the entrance :1. directory, which discloses the names of tenants or occupants,the office located in,and the floor on which such office will be found. It has also become a custom to place in or near the elevator an alphabetically arranged list of all names, individual and firms, doing business or engaged in the building, and the number of the room corresponding. Still much timeis lost and veXation encountered by people going to the proper floor and office,only to find that the individual sought is absent.

The object of my invention is to place at or near the main entrance 2. directory board or case having the names, as usual, and means whereby the office-occupants may there indicate their presence or absence, so that if absent the intending visitor can see at a glance, and without any manipulation whatever on histpart, whether the person sought is in or on Accordingly, the invention consistsin a directory containing the names of occupants or firms and a movable target or signal adapted to indicate their presence or absence, or both, and controlled from the offices or rooms to which they refer; further, in a name-directory having a series of electromagnetic indicators controlled respectively by the different occupants,adapted to signal the presence or absence of said oecupants,in combination with an electric generator, a circuit, and a key for setting said devices in operation; further, in the combination of a directory of names, a series of polarized eleetro-magnets having indicators or targets adapted by their position to indicate information relating to the said names, a circuit, a battery, and a reversing-key adapted to send the current of said battery in either direction at will.

Further, the invention consists in the com bination and arrangement of devices, all sub- Serlal No. 259,246. (No model.)

stantially as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation ofa section of a directory-indicator constructed after my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan section of same, and Fig. 3 is a plan diagram of a simple reversing-key adapted to opencircuit work.

I prefer to place my directory-indicator in a prominent place on the wall near the main entrance,in addition to the ordinary directory now found in most buildings. It consists of a wood frame, A, having a glass front, by preference painted black or dark color on its inner surface, and the names are suitably painted, in gilt letters, on the front. The dark back of the glass 1) has clear spaces 0, one opposite each name, through which the announcement on the target may be seen at a glance. In addition,the number of room may be disclosed, if desired. I prefer to arrange the names in vertical rows and the openings 0 similarly, as shown. In the chamber back of the glass I fix the upright (1, preferably of brass, and to this attach the various indicators, which I construct as follows: An ironbar magnet, e, with circular pole-piecesf, is constructed of malleable iron and wound with a few turns of insulated wire continuous in direction, so as to make the two polesf of opposite polarity. To one of these I attach the bearing'bracket g, of brass, and therewith pivot the magnetized steel armature h. Light straps i,attached to the armature 7L, carry the curved target 70, and the position is such that halfthe target is always opposite the opening cbelonging to it. The device is so attached that the axis of armature h is vertical and the target swings horizontally with inappreciable friction. On the respective halves of the target are inscribed the words In and Out.

From the magnet belonging to each name a pair of wires, Z Z, is run to the office of the person indicated, where, also, I locate a cell of battery, 8, of the open-circuit type, and also in a suitable place in the oflice I locate a reversing-key located in circuit in the usual manner, the key being preferably of open-circuit type to correspond. Two spring blades or t0ngues,m,form the terminals of the pair of wires Z. The two outer contacts, a a, are connected to one pole of the battery and the mid 'lished in the other direction.

dle contact, 0, to the other pole. A non-conducting bar and finger-piece, p, bind the two blades for joint movement. The reverser may be mounted on a neat base,with or without a protecting-cover, and the words In and Outmay be advantageously displayed at the respective positions. Connections are so made that pressing the keytoward in makes contact at m m n 0, and the polarized armature h is moved to display In at the opening a, and the word Out when contact is estab- The occupant can thus readily indicate down at the entrance whether he is in or out.

Obviously a blank on the target may be used to indicate either presence or absence; but the actual words are better.

I have shown what I believe to be the best arrangement for practical use; but the invention is susceptible of many variations of construction and arrangement. Itisinexpensive and its maintenance not costly or troublesome.

Other uses may be made of the inventionas, for instance, in apartment-houses, large factories, railroad offices, the. The target, being under the sole control of the individual himself, cannot be tampered with. The controlling-key may be even located inside his private desk.

It will readily be understood that the battery may be so arranged as to be common to all and placed in care of the janitor. Such plan would merely entail more wire for use.

I claim as my invention- 1. A name-directory having aseries of elec tro-magnetic indicators respectively adjoining said names, and adapted each to either of two positions, and thereby to convey information 2. In adirectory-indicatorforbnildings,the

combination of a name or symbol representing a person, a polarized electro-magnet and armaature having an indicator or target attached thereto adapted to take either oftwo positions,

and byits position to signal information concerning the person represented,circuit-wires,a battery, and areversingkeyatthe room occupied by said person,the circuit being unbroken at all other points, substantially as described.

3. In a directory-indicator for buildings,the combination of a name or symbol representing a person, a polarized electro-inagnet having a movable armature adapted to take either of two positions,and thereby to display to view such words as In and Out, or either of them,in juxtaposition to said name, abattery, circuit-wires to a distant part of the building, and a reversing-key therein, said circuit being unbroken at all other points,substant-ially as described, whereby the person represented can from a distance set the indicator at will.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 14th day of May, A. D. 1887.

THOMAS J. MOTIGHE. Witnesses:

ROMAINE Macs, ALEXANDER Ross. 

